I want an official response.

[LittleArrow]

If you are that upset then you have some serious issues. This is a game for enjoyment. If something as minor as that can affect your life maybe gaming isn't for you...

That's your opinion and a huge assumption on a stranger's life. I understand we have different opinions on the cash shop, but personally attacking someone's passion over their personal hobby is seriously insulting.

MMOs create long lasting friendships, communities.. heck, I met my husband of 10yrs back in ffxi. If I didn't care about games as much as the person that to your mind "has serious issues" I wouldn't have given a care to get to know anyone in them, let alone the love of my life. Caring about something that is important to someone isn't a "serious issue." It's called being passionate. Are the other world problems more important? Sure. Does that invalidate the love people have for their personal interests? Nope.

EDIT: From what I've read, these people feel these cash shop changes are endangering something that they care about as well as harming the community they're investing in. Whether that's an accurate picture of what's going on or not is really up to personal perspective. However, to personally attack someone over trying to defend that isn't the right way to go imo.

[Sholah]

but honestly does it really break the game? Does it really upset you that much?

Yes, it does upset me that much. Nobody is saying that it breaks the game, but it is one less thing among many things that were cut out of the game to sell to you again. Wouldn't you rather have Sleipnir as a drop from Odin? Or those Scion minions as a quest reward? Wouldn't you rather have more things in the game to work toward?

[Kuolema]

sry but u dont know anything about my life^^

You are right I don't know anything about your life and nor do I want to. That isn't the point. All the anti cash shop people are talking about how a few minor items in a video game have ruined this game for everyone. It hasn't, it has annoyed a few people that can't stop complaining about it and feel the need to create thread after thread about how the game is now ruined and how they demand a response directly from SE.

People aren't being ripped off, it is common practice for games to have cash shops and it isn't going to stop whether you want it to or not.

[Sholah]

Probably not, because content like this has to be developed. In order to develop it the company, SE, has to pay developers to put content into the game. They are fairly overwhelmed with keeping us up with new patches and Heavensward. To put these features in requires time and money that would detract from making new content in forms of playable content. So no, had they not be in cash shop I doubt they would have been put in at all, they've got their hands full keeping playable content current.

Just because they teased the wedding feature months ago does not mean then intended for it initially to be free. Most likely they planned from the outset that this would be a paid feature. It's not like they woke up during the Fanfest and decided to charge for things.

What do you think the subscription fee is for?

[Sholah]

Yes because a handful of items on the cash shop has totally ruined this game now for everyone. Oh won't someone please think of the children.

So what you're saying is that you can't refute my point, but you will defend SE to the death anyway even if you have to defy logic.

[SDaemon]

What do you think the subscription fee is for?

Do you want the technical and correct answer or the answer you want to hear?

[Sholah]

People aren't being ripped off, it is common practice for games to have cash shops and it isn't going to stop whether you want it to or not.

People -ARE- being ripped off. You already paid for these things to be developed! We all did! That's what a subscription does! And now SE and every other company out there are just cutting out content to sell later, and people are just taking it. It doesn't matter if every other company does it. That does not make it right. How can you all just be okay with something like this? I don't understand it at all.

Nobody is saying that the game is ruined. People are upset because things are being taken out so SE can make even more money. Everything in the cash shop could have been rewards for actually playing the game.

[SDaemon]

People -ARE- being ripped off. You already paid for these things to be developed! We all did! That's what a subscription does! And now SE and every other company out there are just cutting out content to sell later, and people are just taking it. It doesn't matter if every other company does it. That does not make it right. How can you all just be okay with something like this? I don't understand it at all.

Nobody is saying that the game is ruined. People are upset because things are being taken out so SE can make even more money. Everything in the cash shop could have been rewards for actually playing the game.

Nobody is being ripped off -_-

[Kuolema]

That's your opinion and a huge assumption on a stranger's life. I understand we have different opinions on the cash shop, but personally attacking someone's passion over their personal hobby is seriously insulting.

MMOs create long lasting friendships, communities.. heck, I met my husband of 10yrs back in ffxi. If I didn't care about games as much as the person that to your mind "has serious issues" I wouldn't have given a care to get to know anyone in them, let alone the love of my life. Caring about something that is important to someone isn't a "serious issue." It's called being passionate. Are the other world problems more important? Sure. Does that invalidate the love people have for their personal interests? Nope.

There is being passionate and then there is being obsessive. I'm all for being passionate about things that matter, but to be completely worked up over a game is not healthy. Was it wrong of me to make an assumption..yes. So Khemorex I apologize for making that comment.

As for MMO's creating long lasting friendships/communities/relationships, maybe for some people and congratulations to them. I don't care about any of that, do I care that you met your husband 10 years ago in a game...no. It has no relevance to the cash shop topic.

[Roris]

Wow, you really don't get what I meant with my comment, do you?

Neither do you because you're implying it's all about investors and since SE apparently doesn't depend on them for this specific game only because Yoshida said so, apparently they're safe from ever going F2P with ARR despite the clear signs being there. Even though you know, investors do have a say on the company as a whole and can override decisions with enough votes or at least push them towards a decision.

http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/ir/

There is a list of 10(includes WoW). http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploa..._mmo_table.jpg

Now these are listed as a subscription based MMO even though they have ways to play for free with certain limitations.

Thanks for that. From that list we can see, aside that ARR isn't even listed there, that excluding WoW and EVE which are the top MMO in their respective themepark and sandbox markets, and also excluding Blade and Soul which still doesn't have a presence in the western market and I think might be either P2P or B2P, the rest are F2P. Lineage, TERA, SWTOR, LOTR, Aion, Lineage 2, and Rift all started out as P2P and eventually transitioned into F2P for various reasons. TERA and LOTR implemented a cash shop while still maintaining a sub and relatively shortly after went F2P.

So really expecting ARR to remain as P2P forever, especially when the F2P transition signs are clear as day, is just too hopeful or naive.